Inquest into the death of Joshua DUKE
Deceased
Joshua Duke
Demographics
38y, male
Date of death
2020-10-15
Finding date
2022-12-16
Cause of death
gunshot wound of the head
AI-generated summary
Joshua Duke died following a police operation where he was shot by four NSW Police officers after a vehicle pursuit. He was armed with a double-barrel shotgun and had two separate shooting encounters with police on a private property. The first encounter involved Senior Constable Wood and Constable Iddles, who discharged firearms after Duke advanced toward them with his firearm pointed in their direction despite repeated commands to drop it. The second encounter involved Detective Senior Constable Bishop, Sergeant Vanderwolf, and Detective Senior Constable Allan, who discharged firearms when Duke emerged from a residence holding the shotgun in a position ready to fire. The coroner found that all police officers acted appropriately and in accordance with NSW Police policy and training when using lethal force. Duke sustained four gunshot wounds; the fatal injury was a head wound. The coroner made no recommendations and found the officers' actions lawful.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Specialties
Drugs involved
Contributing factors
- deceased was armed with a double-barrel shotgun
- deceased failed to comply with repeated police commands to drop the firearm
- deceased advanced toward police officers while holding firearm in threatening manner
- deceased carried firearm in position ready to fire
- high-speed pursuit and vehicle ramming of police vehicle
- previous criminal history including firearms offences
Full text
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Source and disclaimer
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